Xbox 2 Not Backwards?

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The rumors never end regarding Microsoft's Next. Read the latest.

By Hilary Goldstein

According to a recent article on GameIndustry.biz, Microsoft sources in the know have confirmed that Xbox 2 (whatever it's to be named) will not be backwards compatible. If true, this would mean that Xbox games could not be played on Xbox 2. This is not a new rumor, however. Since Microsoft first announced that ATI and not Xbox graphics chip provider NVIDIA would provide the graphics chipset for Xbox 2, it was assumed that incompatibility between the two chips would prohibit Xbox 2 from playing some Xbox titles.

The true question is whether backwards compatibility is all that vital to the success of Xbox 2. If Microsoft is choosing to forgo backwards compatibility, it's a clear sign that Microsoft executives feel being able to play old software on the new system is not crucial to gamers. In fact, this is likely only to impact gamers in the first six-months of release, much as what occurred with the PS2, which is backwards compatible with the PlayStation One. This was important as Final Fantasy IX was released for the PlayStation One close to the release of PS2. Aside from the first few months of release, however, do people purchase a PS2 over an Xbox because it can play their old PS One titles? That seems a bit unlikely. Still, there is concern that a lack of backwards compatibility may alienate Xbox's current installed base.

We'll have more conjecture, rumor, and random guesses in the coming weeks, months, and perhaps years leading to Xbox 2's release -- whenever the hell that might actually be.